PG&E, Employees Help Red Cross Help Hurricane Sandy Victims
PG&E, Employees Help Red Cross Help Hurricane Sandy Victims
PG&E, which has sent more than 150 electric workers to the East Coast to help restore power to the millions of customers who lost it during Hurricane Sandy, also is making a direct contribution to relief efforts.
And so are PG&E employees. And PG&E customers who want to help can now make donations via a link on the home page of PG&E’s website.
PG&E made a $50,000 donation to the American Red Cross to support those in need after the massive storm swept across the Eastern Seaboard.
In addition, PG&E has committed $2.5 million in 2012 to help communities in its service area become disaster-ready, and ensure that local residents and organizations are equipped with the training, resources and networks necessary to effectively prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. This effort is led by individuals and organizations within each community, facilitated by the American Red Cross and supported with funding by PG&E.
Meanwhile, PG&E employees, through the company’s annual Campaign for the Community fundraising drive, also are able to earmark their contributions for Sandy relief. This year’s campaign was extended by a week, until Nov. 7, to encourage employees to donate to those affected by the superstorm.
The record $5.3 million raised from PG&E employees last year was distributed to more than 4,500 non-profit organizations. That included more than $325,000 to support the efforts of the American Red Cross.
PG&E customers can donate to the Red Cross, which provides food, shelter, support and other assistance, in numerous ways:
- PG&E’s home page, www.pge.com, now has a direct link to the American Red Cross site.
- People can visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions also may be sent directly to your local Red Cross chapter.
As always during a large natural disaster, there is an increased need for blood donations. To schedule a blood donation or get more information about giving blood, people can visit this website or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
The Red Cross also now offers a free Hurricane First Aid app. It can be found in the Apple App Storeand the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. The app is available in Spanish just by changing the smart phone setting to Spanish before downloading.
More than 235,000 people have downloaded the free Red Cross Hurricane App since Sandy began approaching, making it one of the most popular free apps. The app gives up-to-date weather alerts, information on open Red Cross shelters, a toolkit with a flashlight, strobe light and alarm and a one-touch “I’m Safe” button that lets someone use social media outlets to let family and friends know they are okay.
